


The Egoist’s Facade

by omnis_trash



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Angst, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Slow Burn, fem!kiran - Freeform, gotta love that enemies to lovers content, is it obvious this shitlord is my fave character, narcian’s a little shit but we love him in this house, this is my first fic on here;;
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:53:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27777931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/omnis_trash/pseuds/omnis_trash
Summary: With the war against Embla becoming almost too much to bear, Kiran decides that Askr’s army would benefit from recruiting more heroes. Unfortunately, some units are less willing to comply than others. And this new ‘Grand Hero Battle’ unit she’s recruited is more trouble than she deems necessary.
Relationships: Nacien | Narcian/Summoner | Eclat | Kiran
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

It was a harsh winter’s day in Askr, the frigid air coupled with the endless onslaught from Embla had morale within the barracks at an all time low. Even the most upbeat of heroes began to waver, and the sight of a frantic and paranoid summoner did nothing to help, either. Reviewing the most recent battle reports, Kiran sat firmly rooted to the desk in her chambers, comparing future battle plans with many of old; she scoured numerous examples for any flaws that may have been glossed over, as well as cherry-picking positive attributes that worked in their favour to use and refine in upcoming battles. With a stamina potion in one hand and an elaborate pen in the other, Kiran scribbled down formation techniques, the different skills each unit possessed, and just about anything that relieved her mind of the mounting stress. 

If anything, the various sounds of allies sparring outside - albeit quite distracting - were reassuring to her. 

A sprightly, rhythmic knock on the door threw her out of her thoughts, and she jumped with a yelp. Setting down her trusty pen and the only thing that kept her conscious, Kiran made her way over, squinting and rubbing her eyes to hopefully reduce any sign of exhaustion before opening the door. She was met with a familiar pair of emerald-green eyes that were brimming with optimism.

“Sharena..? What’s the matter?”  
“Hey there, Kiran! Commander Anna sent me to fetch you, she says we’re heading out for that ‘Grand Hero Battle’ thing now, are you all ready?” She was far too energetic this hellishly early in the morning, Kiran noted.   
  
Kiran let out a quiet sigh of exasperation - so much as half an hour’s worth of rest sounded like pure bliss right about now. “Yeah, I suppose so,” she replied, as she gathered up her notes and holstered Breidalblik to her belt. Shutting the door to her chambers behind her, Kiran made her way to the tactics room, Sharena following suite with a gleeful spring in her step.

  
“Who exactly are we fighting this time? Do you know?” Kiran questioned, already feeling withdrawal symptoms from the several stamina potions she had just recently downed.  
“If I remember rightly, we’re up against a wyvern general from Bern! His name is... Narcian..? I think? Oh, and he wields axes! I’ve also been told he’s rather vain, that part I remember vividly.” Sharena giggled to herself, mainly out of sheer excitement at the concept of meeting a new ally.   
“...Sounds like he makes for _wonderful_ company.”

——————————————————

After a swift recap of the battle plan, Kiran - leading her most trustworthy team - regrouped with the Askrian trio. She briefed her chosen allies on their positions on the battlefield, and the enemies that would most pose a threat to them. Valter, whom Kiran could never deny was among her favourites, relished in the opportunity for bloodshed that lay ahead of him; his wyvern was just as thrilled about the upcoming battle as its master, occasionally darting its snake-like tongue out of its maw. As Kiran stood beside him, he leaned over to observe the page of copious tactics and precautions she displayed, of which he noted the position of a particularly _amusing_ green mage.   
  
“Iote’s shield may grant you resistance against arrows, but our reports mention that the enemy has dispatched a number of mages, so be cautious.”  
“Nothing but measly little minnows,” he mused with a dark chuckle, gliding a gloved hand along his wyvern’s neck as the great beast bellowed a deep purr. “They’re nothing but defenceless prey for me to hunt down.”  
Making sure Breidablik was secure in its holster, she surveyed the condition of her other allies, shortly before reaching for Valter’s hand as he helped her mount and sit atop his wyvern. 

Nino was tending to her pegasus, alongside Nailah and Julius who were pleased to finally participate in an actual battle as opposed to sparring with training dummies; Julius, however, was more than besides himself with an overwhelming desire for violence, muttering out loud his morbid thoughts. Once she was convinced that her team had been appropriately prepared, Kiran turned to Anna and dipped her head, confirming they were ready.

“Alright, let’s head out. This’ll be a challenging battle, so everyone be on your guard!” Swinging her axe to rest on her shoulder, Anna began to lead the way with Alfonse, Sharena, and Kiran’s team of heroes trailing behind her one after the other. Nino ushered her pegasus to take flight with a gentle tug of the reins, whilst Valter issued a sharp command as the indigo beast spread its vast wings and, with a guttural hiss, hoisted itself into the air. Kiran held onto his waist tightly as if her life depended on it. 

——————————————————

“This must be it,” Alfonse stopped in his tracks. A forest came into view, as enormous mountains lumbered across the horizon.   
“Mh-hm. This landscape looks identical to the one here.” Anna studied the map she held in her hands, nodding to Alfonse before analysing her surroundings. 

Nino shakily landed her pegasus, patting its neck and praising it for being so gentle for once, as Valter’s wyvern deftly swooped towards the ground and perched on a spot of elevated land. With his additional assistance, the beast lowered its massive body closer to the ground, allowing Kiran to slip off onto the grass below. She expressed her thanks to the general, and briskly jogged to regroup with Anna and the royal siblings. Already, they could make out the incredibly faint outlines of enemy units in the distance.   
  
“They must’ve known we were coming,” Kiran squinted, retrieving Breidalblik from its place on her belt.  
“Yeah... no sign of this Narcian guy, though,” Sharena shielded her eyes from the sun with a gloved hand as she attempted to identify the figures in the distance. “He rides a wyvern, right? He can’t be _that_ hard to miss then!”  
“I-is that not him over there, princess Sharena?” Nino gestured towards a large, dusky, horned creature with wings that remained perched atop the nearest mountain. Its rider - whom staggeringly stood out with bright, illustrious armour - effortlessly wielded a hefty axe in one hand.   
Kiran quirked a brow, bewildered by the opposing wyvern general’s... _exotic_ choice of colour scheme.  
“...that’s him alright.” She confirmed, glancing over to Alfonse. “Is it time?”  
He nodded, readying Folkvangr. “It’s time. Everybody, to battle!”

With a snarl Nailah morphed into her beast form, echoing a howl as she sprinted towards the closest enemy and tackled them to the ground. Valter was the next to take action, issuing a command to his wyvern as it let out a rumbling growl, heaving its lithe body off of its perch, into the air and making an instant beeline for an unfortunate sword knight. Advancing alongside her heroes, Kiran remained close to Alfonse as he swiftly slashed and disposed of his foes, aided with the frequent wind spells casted by Nino; Kiran readied her weapon at the same time an archer emerged from a nearby bush, arrow drawn back and aimed at her head.   
“Blood will _rain_!” Before either she or her ambusher could make another move, a dense, smokey cloud of dark magic billowed up from the ground, eventually taking the signature shape of a dragon’s snout as it engulfed the archer. She craned her head only to see Julius with a macabre grin on his face, Loptous tome ready in hand - perhaps she made the right decision to bring him along, if only to allow him to release his frustrations. Nodding her thanks, she followed Alfonse, trailing back ever so slightly as they sprinted towards an area that was densely packed with enemies. 

——————————————————

Taking note of how surprisingly quickly his soldiers had been taken out, Narcian decided that it was high time he intervened. “Hm hm... what insolent fools,” Giving his Runeaxe an elegant twirl, he gripped the reins of his mount, expertly maintaining his balance as his wyvern unfurled its vast wings with a threatening snarl. “I’ll extinguish what pitiful little chance of victory they have.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiran, with the help of her allies, defeats Narcian in battle and proceeds to recruit him. Narcian, however, is rather reluctant.

Upon its master’s command, Narcian’s wyvern bellowed a roar as it took to the sky with a powerful beat of its wings. He angled his wrist with yet another gaudy flourish and steadied his axe, preparing to strike as his mount locked onto its target.

Noticing the immense shadow casted from above, Kiran turned to look, promptly ordering her allies nearby to be on their guard; Julius - assisted by Nino - was too absorbed in picking off the weaker enemy units that had attempted to flank them, and Nailah had finished tearing a group of mages to little more than stains against the lush grass, momentarily shifting back to her usual form for a moment’s respite. As the Askrian siblings accompanied Anna, they worked together to dispose of the more difficult enemies up ahead. Kiran could see the silhouette of the opposing wyvern general rapidly advancing towards her. Her remaining ally, Valter, was engrossed with the current slaughter, observing the gore that crusted the blade of his Cursed Lance with twisted satisfaction. 

Throwing herself to the side rather ungracefully, she narrowly dodged a particularly heavy - and fatal, gods forbid _had_ it struck her - swing of Narcian’s Runeaxe, instantly distancing herself from him. His mount snapped and snarled at her as she watched him dislodge his weapon from the rugged bark of a tree, turning to face her with a surprisingly threatening demeanour.   
“So... I suppose I am to understand you are the leader of this _pathetic_ group?” Narcian scoffed as he dismounted his wyvern, head tilted and voice lowered in a menacing timbre. Baring its teeth, the massive beast let out a ferocious growl, tail thrashing. “Why, eradicating this silly little excuse for a challenge will be _quite_ the pleasure.”

  
“That’s right,” Kiran gripped Breidablik in her hand. “And you must be the _oh so_ pleasant Narcian I’ve heard so much about.”  
His smirk fell to a grimace. With a brandish of his Runeaxe, Narcian tapped the hefty blade against his hand. If there was one thing Kiran noticed about the garish general before her, it was that he was far stronger than first appearances led him on to be. 

“Hm hm, you’re certainly a lot... _bolder_... than I anticipated,” He mused, slinging his axe over his shoulder. “Let’s hope you keep me sufficiently entertained.”

Before Kiran could snap a retort, Narcian rushed forward, Runeaxe poised and ready to strike her. With a nimble twist of her body, she dodged the sudden swing of his axe with a surprised cry, finding herself being backed towards a tree. Removing the hook of the blade from deep within the soil, he turned to face her, a sneer growing across his face at the discovery that she had been cornered. 

“Now that I’ve inspected you closer... I know just who you are,” Narcian leered, delighted with the defiant look plastered on Kiran’s face. “The almighty Summoner... about to beg - nay, _grovel_ \- for her life before me.” The very idea thrilled him to no end, and he made little attempt to hide it.

“I’ll grovel for _no-one_ , you’ll do good to remember that,” She spat back, crossing her arms indignantly. Despite knowing her main motive for this battle was to recruit the wyvern general into her ranks, he was proving to be more difficult than she had previously dreaded. Dragging a gloved finger over the blade’s edge of his axe, Narcian chuckled to himself, deeply amused.   
“We shall see, won’t we, Summoner?” His arms reared back once more, preparing to strike. Kiran closed her eyes, visibly stiffening. 

Instead of the sharp, agonising stab she expected, she felt the dull pain of a sturdy, armoured figure tackling her out of the way; Kiran fell to the ground with a thud, hearing the shrill clang of metal blades connecting. Scrambling to her knees, she was greeted with the sight of a familiar silhouette clad in mauve armour. Valter, having swiftly dismounted his wyvern as well - which was now spreading its wings and hissing at the smaller, spinier wyvern - sprinted to her aid. His Cursed Lance skilfully deflected the swing of Narcian’s Runeaxe. Glancing over to Kiran, Valter made sure to manoeuvre in front of her. 

“Quite the vexing little whelp, aren’t you?” He snarled, baring his canines. Twirling his lance with malicious intent, he swung it in front of Kiran, effectively shielding her. “Trying to kill _my_ Summoner? Now, that just won’t do.”

Giving a disdainful scoff, Narcian simply held his weapon by his side. He had the weapon advantage over the general opposite him, so, according to his genius, surely this would prove to be no challenge at all.   
“Hmph, you dare to challenge me, Narcian? With that _measly_ little spear? How very droll.” With a mirthful chuckle, he made a show of readying his axe and lunged for Valter. Predicting his next action, Valter ducked underneath a poorly timed swing, swivelling his lance and slashing a deep cut to Narcian’s face. Out of pain and sheer surprise, he staggered backwards with a cry, immediately reaching a hand to inspect his wound, feeling numerous droplets of blood trickle down his cheek.   
“Y-you... you _cur_!” Releasing a gods-awful shriek, Narcian threw himself at his opponent, trembling with fury. “I’ll _claw_ you for that, impudent dastard!!” 

Dodging yet another haphazard attack, Valter angled a swift kick to Narcian’s ankles, sending him to the ground and immobilising him. Not giving him even a second to react, Valter thrusted his lance dangerously close to his jugular, earning a yelp from the bewildered wyvern rider.   
“Am I truly the dastard here?” He mocked, tilting his head to the side ominously. 

“A-A barbaric move, you dog!” Narcian berated himself for stammering. Valter simply smirked. 

“From where I’m standing, you’re _far from_ being in the right position to back-talk, whelp.” He pressed the blade to his neck with harsher force, just enough to draw a tiny speck of crimson.

“Valter, that’s enough! We need him alive!” Kiran jogged up to stand beside him, forcing his lance down; being denied the thrill of another kill, Valter growled to himself, but ultimately backed off.   
“Now, Narcian, I have a proposition for you.” Even though she spoke, he refused to meet her eyes. “Since we have bested you in battle, I will give you the choice between two options: admit defeat and join our ranks, or perish on this battlefield, right here and now.”

To Narcian, neither of those options were particularly appealing. Humiliation within him began to increase tenfold as Kiran’s other allies regrouped with her. He hung his head.   
“... _must_ I choose?” As Kiran nodded in response, he heaved a great sigh. Narcian glanced around him, taking note of the rather unnerving expression that Valter - and Julius as well - wore.   
“...fine. Very well. I shall grant you the honour of having I, Narcian, within your ranks.”

“Wonderful! I was hoping you’d say that.” Clasping her hands together in feigned glee, she turned on her heel to catch up with Alfonse and the others, sharing the triumph of victory. 

Rather offended by the lack of help from his new allies, Narcian picked himself up, wary of the painful wound that stretched across his cheek. He walked over to his wyvern and gathered its reins in one hand, calming it with a gentle rub to the snout as it nudged its head against his torso. 

————————————————

Back at the castle, Kiran had made sure that all of the necessary requirements were arranged and in place, and with that, welcomed Narcian into the Askrian army. She had assigned him to the team in Nino’s place, and finished briefing him on the training drills he was expected to perform. 

“I trust you’ll behave yourself, Narcian,” she regarded him with a side-eye. “Do _not_ let me down.” 

He responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Why, such behaviour comes as second-nature to one as grand as I,” he then ran said hand through his hair in a singular, flippant motion. “Are you suggesting I am not to be trusted? My my, Summoner, how heartless.”

“No, that isn’t the case,” Kiran placed a hand upon Breidablik, looking back at him with a startlingly serious expression. “I’d just hate for all of that effort the other day to go to waste, is all. One false move out of line, Narcian, and that’ll be it for you.”  
As she gathered up her supplies and made her way to the doors of the tactics room, Narcian watched her as she left, incredulous. 

Oh yes, he could already tell this relationship with his new superior was going to go just _swimmingly_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyeee, second chapter posted! hope y’all are enjoying it so far! Narcian continues to be a pain in the ass as usual smh smh  
> the next chapter might come a bit slow since I am due for surgery this upcoming week, but I promise it is in the works!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To absolutely no-one’s surprise, Narcian is making life in Askr a living hell for Kiran.

It had been several days since Narcian was recruited to the Askrian castle, and he had settled in about as well as Kiran expected. Picking fights and squabbling with just about anyone, he had entirely disregarded what she had said to him at first, coming to the conclusion that it was simply nothing more than an empty threat. To make matters worse, Kiran’s consumption of stamina potions were at an all time high, no thanks to Narcian. Deciding she was on her last threads of patience, she sought him out to scold him once more. 

Closing the doors to her chambers behind her with far more force than necessary, she made her way through the dimly-lit corridor, annoyance clear and tangible. Turning a corner, she met face to face with Camilla, who knew all too well what the expression plastered on Kiran’s face meant. 

“Oh my... Kiran, darling, what’s gotten you in such a sour mood?” The Malig knight raised a hand to her chin in feigned obliviousness.

“I’ll let you take a single, wild guess.”

With a light-hearted chuckle, Camilla could only assume the root of Kiran’s _ever pleasant_ mood was undoubtedly their newest recruit. He was certainly proving himself to be nothing short of irritating. 

“Ah, I think I understand... this new little favourite of yours seems to be testing your patience, hmm?”

Kiran looked rather offended at the mere suggestion of Narcian being anything more than just an acquaintance. Turning to give her a stone-cold glare, she scoffed.  
“He’s nothing but a _nuisance_ at best. I would have snuffed him out by now if we weren’t so strained for allies in this blasted war.”

“Well, from what I’ve witnessed, he does seem to possess some ability in battle, no? He wields his axe remarkably, like none I’ve ever seen.” Camilla gave a slight smirk, knowing she couldn’t disagree. 

“True, but that doesn’t cancel out the fact he’s a complete and utter pain in the ass.” 

Kiran would be found freezing in Nífl before admitting out loud she was somewhat impressed by his prowess; if anything, that would only work to fuel his already ridiculous ego. The very thought threatened to spur on a migraine. 

Raucous arguing interrupted their conversation, causing Kiran to flinch ever so slightly at the sudden harsh voices. She swivelled her head to pinpoint the source of the bickering — the mess hall. Heaving a great sigh, Camilla held her hand to her forehead. 

“...sounds like he’s at it again.”

“Oh, for _fucks_ sake!” Kiran hissed under her breath as she turned on her heel. Well and truly surpassing the threshold of her rage, she sprinted down the hallway, cloak fluttering behind her. 

Folding her arms, Camilla watched as she disappeared from view. “I wish you luck, Kiran dear.”

—————————————————

Narcian stood in the mess hall with a bowl of particularly... exquisite... looking porridge. He was frozen to the spot in sheer disbelief as Julius swiped the last dessert on display; his _favourite_ dessert, no less. Julius, on the other hand, looked absolutely thrilled to have took the last raspberry shortcake. Mirroring the appearance — as well as the behaviour — of an agitated peacock, Narcian balanced his bowl in one hand with an upset huff and made his way over to confront the dark mage.

“You there! I had my eyes set on that very dessert, therefore, it is rightfully mine!” Narcian said, bristling like a furious cat. 

Dumbfounded by his obscure logic, Julius simply jeered in response.   
“Is that so? It doesn’t appear to have your name scrawled on it — whatever that may be. Truth be told, I quite frankly don’t care.” Grasping the fork, he toyed with the light and fluffy dessert, poking the decorative pieces of raspberry that adorned the top. 

Letting out an offended gasp, Narcian’s temper began to boil over.   
“Listen here, you cretin!” That seemed to have won him Julius’ full attention. “I was anticipating that dessert throughout this entire week! Do you have _any_ idea of the trials I’ve endured during my time here?!” He certainly wasn’t painting the picture of himself to be the glorious general he had insisted he was. His gods-awful screeching was enough to draw attention from other nearby heroes. 

With an amused sneer, Julius simply dug his fork into the fluffy cake, shoving a small slice into his mouth. Positively enraged by what he perceived to be utter _audacity,_ Narcian’s fists shook, threatening to spill his bowl of gruel. 

Before he could yowl a barrage of insults towards the insufferable mage, the mess hall doors flung open, a seething Kiran walking through; Julius, torn between wanting to stay and witness the poor fool be subject to the summoner’s fury, ultimately decided to sit at a nearby table to focus on his well-earned dessert. 

“Ah, Summoner! Your timing could not have been more impecc—“

“Narcian. How many more GODS-DAMNED times am I to tell you this,” Interrupting his complaint, Kiran shot him the most caustic glare she could muster. “We have a _sodding_ training ground for a reason. Stop picking fights with every damn hero you encounter!”

Looking equally as fed up as her, Narcian shifted his weight, resting his free hand on his hip.   
“First of all, don’t you cuss at me, _Summoner._ Second of all, I have grown exceptionally bored, the training grounds do not boast the challenges I require.”

“Narcian, I have received _eight_ complaints about your affinity for arguments so far this week, and it’s only Tuesday. _Eight._ ” Walking over to a nearby table — with Narcian following at her heels — Kiran grabbed a bowl of porridge and sat down. It was rather late in the afternoon, meaning that the mess hall was left relatively empty as Askr’s heroes went out to train. Despite the countless number of vacant tables, the general still sat down opposite her, looking as flashy as ever in his day clothes. 

“...why are you following me?” Kiran sighed, utterly exhausted. 

“I am _not_ following you. You simply chose to sit at precisely the same table as me,” With an indignant flip of his golden hair, Narcian stirred his porridge before bringing a spoonful to his mouth. “Besides, only those who are truly worthy are honoured with my presence. Certainly not some tactician utilising cheap little tricks to best me.”

“You’re not seriously talking about your recruitment battle, are you? Surely you’re not upset over it still.”

“I’m _referring_ to it, Kiran!” Spoon in hand, he jabbed it in her direction. That was enough confirmation that he was, indeed, still upset. Kiran also noticed that the painful looking wound he gained that day had scarred up rather nicely.

Scooping a spoonful of porridge into her mouth, she rested her head on her fist.   
“I am, however, unsure as to how you could solve your little boredom problem. You pretty much deny every opportunity I give you.”

“Then spar with me,” Narcian gazed at her expectantly, smirk stretching across his face. “I’m sure you’d make for an _exceptional_ opponent.”

“...I beg your pardon?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Narcian give the summoner a goddamn break smh-  
> Also, updates should be a little more frequent now, as I have fully recovered from my surgery c:


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiran finally decides to take Narcian up on his sparring offer. After all, she needs as much experience with a weapon as she can possibly get if she’s to go out on the battlefield. What could go wrong?

Having been engrossed in her work for a good few hours, Kiran finally decided to take Narcian up on his rather spontaneous demand for a sparring session. She tidied up her work-desk, and stashed several pages of crudely drawn battle plans into a drawer as she eyed a lone stamina potion. She contemplated consuming it, but decided not to. Whilst it was true that Narcian could be described with just the singular word ‘obnoxious’, this time they were simply sparring; a friendly one-on-one shouldn’t prove to be _too_ much trouble, surely. Slipping on her cloak, Kiran exited her chambers and mentally prepared herself for his inevitable complaining at her timing, with what he would describe as being ‘sheer selfishness’. 

On her way down the corridor, she was atleast thankful to him for being dragged out of her room — if she were to stay cooped up in there for any longer, she was _certain_ she would’ve gone berserk. As she passed by the towering doors to the mess hall, Kiran suddenly regretted not swiping that stamina potion. Even the mere sight of Narcian’s favourite place to cause a scene was enough to kickstart a slight headache, even more so at the aspect of _fighting_ him. Oh gods, what had she gotten herself into?

To her relief — and dread, as well — the vast, cobblestone terrain of the training grounds came into view, various heroes already present and honing their own skills. Lo and behold, Narcian stood by the ornate archway, visibly irritated by what was _undoubtedly_ Kiran’s tardiness. Exhaling a tense breath, she approached him. 

“Hey, Narcian,” she braced herself, expecting a stream of insults as his response. “About your sparring offer... I suppose I _could_ use some time out of my chambers.”

“Oho, piqued your interest have I? Why, Kiran, I was beginning to assume you had oh so cruelly forgotten about me...” He feigned offence, raising the back of his hand to his temple before lowering it back down by his side. “After all, I did indulge you with the opportunity _two days ago._ ” He frowned, voice thick with sarcasm. 

“And I’ve been busy to hell with work, Narcian. I have to supervise training drills and hone my battle tactics, you know that.” Shooting him a look of disapproval, Kiran sighed. Leave it to him to be _so_ melodramatic. 

“Kiran, pardon my phrasing, but you’re rather useless on the battlefield. You don’t pose a threat to our opposition at all, quite frankly.”

“What do you expect me to do, chuck this thing at them?!” She gestured to Breidablik securely holstered to her hip, offended by his statement despite the truth behind it. 

“The most _that_ bizarre contraption would do is mildly infuriate them. You need to become familiarised with a more common type of weapon as soon as physically possible, and I will _not_ be taking no for an answer.” He clasped Kiran’s gloved hand firmly within his own, and turned on his heel with an elegant flap of his violet cape. Moderately flustered by his vice grip, she grumbled several curses as she was dragged towards a spacious area. Weapon stands stood tall, presenting a variety of swords, axes, and lances — both wooden and steel. Releasing the tight hold on her hand, Narcian sauntered over to the nearest display; he was struck with the impossible decision of an axe or a sword. Eventually, he acquired the latter, studying its blade.

“...I had no idea you dabbled in swords, Narcian.”

Kiran was hardly surprised as he focused purely on the compliment, puffing up his chest in pride. With an exaggerated flip of his hair, he turned to her.  
“Why, of course! While I do possess some _exceptional_ skill in axe-wielding, I must confess that these are my personal preference. With the correct angle and enough force, you can effortlessly slice through even the toughest of armour. And to someone with my magnificent prowess and skill, such a thing comes as easy as breathing,” Resting the weapon on his shoulder, he wore his trademark grin accompanied with a sly wink. “Care for a demonstration?”

Already feeling pricks of annoyance, she retrieved her chosen weapon and left Narcian to his preening as she gained suitable distance from him. By the _gods,_ how she despised that smug demeanour of his.  
“Sure. Enlighten me.” She said half-heartedly. 

Narcian quirked an eyebrow. He then hilted his blade into the ground, shifting his weight as he pondered over a sudden idea.   
“...first of all, show to me how you’d wield that blade.”

Kiran adopted a stance that she deemed suitable enough, confused by this sudden demand of his. She positioned her feet apart ever so slightly with her weapon held down by her side, albeit hands placed a little bit too close to the pommel. Thinking she had atleast perfected it somewhat, Narcian’s expression of complete and utter bewilderment soon proved her _entirely_ wrong. 

“...no wonder your presence on the battlefield is a certified death-sentence. Surely that is some sort of jest!”

“Oh, well _do_ forgive me, but if you haven’t noticed fighting isn’t exactly my strong point!” She snapped back, stifling another curse as he approached her. “Stay there, you. I can figure this out myself.”

“If you insist, o’ beloved Summoner of mine. Just this once, I’ll allow you to be vocal with your praise when I sweep you off of your feet.” Removing the blade of his weapon from the ground, he chuckled as she shot him a glare once she devised a more adequate stance. 

As Kiran surveyed her surroundings, she noticed Valter stationed some fair few yards away, polishing the blade of his lance and sneering as he eyed the fellow wyvern general. She could tell that he was far from pleased at the fact _he_ was sparring with her. Flung out of her thoughts by the sudden sound of rapidly advancing footsteps, she avoided the swing of Narcian’s sword just in time. 

“Gah—!! Warn me next time, damnit!” She spat, flimsily swinging her blade to collide with his. 

“You’ll have no forewarning whilst you’re out on that battlefield, Summoner. And besides, you’ll be _that_ entranced by my performance you simply wouldn’t see your opponent coming, hm hm...” Narcian found himself to be rather impressed by how well she was parrying his moves. Not that he’d ever admit to it, of course. Increasing the frequency of his strikes, their blades connected with incredible force; Kiran jolted backwards in surprise at a particularly powerful collision. She plummeted to the ground with a yelp, sword flying from her grasp and landing besides her on the cobblestone floor with a jarring _clang._

Spotting the opportunity and pouncing for it, Narcian crept up to her and slid his blade underneath her chin, tilting her head up to meet his gaze.   
“Well, well, well...” He relished in the startled flush that spread across Kiran’s face. “Truth be told, I _much_ prefer this change in leverage... with you beneath me for once.” Eyes narrowed, he leaned in close with a sultry yet triumphant expression that irked her to no end.

“H-How is _this_ a form of sparring?!” She sputtered, highly embarrassed at their position and painfully aware of the other heroes eyeing them. 

“Oh, it isn’t. But I’m savouring it either way.”

Before she could wriggle her way out from beneath him, a murderous snarl sounded from behind him. Narcian withdrew his sword in response and turned around, only to be met with Valter wearing a dark expression and lance menacingly raised towards him. 

“You forget your place, _fodder._ One more move like that, and I’ll see to it you pick up your teeth with broken fingers.” 

Narcian visibly flinched, knowing full well that that threat was indeed a promise. The scar that snaked across his cheek was enough evidence of that.   
“Fret not, my brutish friend, for we were merely sparring.” Extending a hand out towards Kiran, he helped her up, thoroughly amused by her flustered expression.

As she dusted herself off, Kiran gave Valter a warning glance.   
“Steady on, Valter, he’s right. We were only training, but this insufferable prick is pushing his luck as per usual,” With very faint remnants of embarrassment, her glare didn’t have quite the effect on Narcian that she wanted; he gave her a sideways glance, responding with an arrogant smirk. “Anyways, as _entertaining_ as that was, I must be off now. If I miss this meeting Anna will have my head mounted on a pike.” With an exhausted sigh, Kiran trudged off, waving a goodbye to the two wyvern generals. 

Narcian and Valter stood there, the atmosphere between them immediately turning tense now that Kiran had left. 

“...you’re wearing my patience thin, leech. I should have spilled your innards while I had the chance.” Valter growled, baring his teeth threateningly. 

Narcian jeered a retort, scowling at the significantly taller general.   
“Like I’d _ever_ bestow you the satisfaction of doing such a thing. You weren’t able to run that lance through me back then, I doubt you’ll be allowed to now.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. After all, the summoner isn’t exactly here to scold me for such a thing now, is she?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all, hope your Christmas + New Years was enjoyable !! Here’s to another year of fic writing ;>

**Author's Note:**

> The sheer lack of Narcian content disappoints me, so I’m writing this to fix that ;;  
> Also, I cant promise a definite post schedule, but I’ll try my best to keep on top of this :’)


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